The subject of Spiritual Gifts has been a much misunderstood topic even for Christians. It has unfortunately caused divisions among the church, especially when it comes to their definition and purpose; when they are received and how they are evidenced; and their use for today. In 1 Corinthians 12 , the apostle Paul gives us several truths about spiritual gifts:
1. given to believers, confess that Jesus is Lord
2. variety of gifts, but given by same Spirit
3. God empowers them in every believer
4. given for the common good (of the church)
5. there are 13 types of gifts listed
6. given to believers as the Spirit wills
So we can reason that specific spiritual gifts are given by God, the Holy Spirit, as he wills, to each and every believer for the edification of the church. Spiritual gifts are not to be confused with the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). As Towns states, “A spiritual gift is an ability to be used in service, whereas spiritual fruit relates to a Christian’s character.” They are each given by the same Spirit, but gifts are bestowed once at conversion (indwelling) and is specific to each believer to produce supernatural service; whereas fruit is accessible …show more content…
One of these outward manifestations is speaking in tongues (1 Cor 12:28) or speaking in a language previously unlearned by the believer. This first happened at Pentecost to the Apostles and the believers with them (Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4). They were able to languages from other lands and were understood by the people from those lands. Now the purpose of this was twofold: to prove the coming of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Christ (Acts 1:4-5); and to spread the Good News to unbelievers (Acts 2:11). Despite the many debates and confusion over the interpretation of this gift throughout church history, the purpose of this gift remains the same today (1 Cor 14:6;
1. given to believers, confess that Jesus is Lord
2. variety of gifts, but given by same Spirit
3. God empowers them in every believer
4. given for the common good (of the church)
5. there are 13 types of gifts listed
6. given to believers as the Spirit wills
So we can reason that specific spiritual gifts are given by God, the Holy Spirit, as he wills, to each and every believer for the edification of the church. Spiritual gifts are not to be confused with the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). As Towns states, “A spiritual gift is an ability to be used in service, whereas spiritual fruit relates to a Christian’s character.” They are each given by the same Spirit, but gifts are bestowed once at conversion (indwelling) and is specific to each believer to produce supernatural service; whereas fruit is accessible …show more content…
One of these outward manifestations is speaking in tongues (1 Cor 12:28) or speaking in a language previously unlearned by the believer. This first happened at Pentecost to the Apostles and the believers with them (Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4). They were able to languages from other lands and were understood by the people from those lands. Now the purpose of this was twofold: to prove the coming of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Christ (Acts 1:4-5); and to spread the Good News to unbelievers (Acts 2:11). Despite the many debates and confusion over the interpretation of this gift throughout church history, the purpose of this gift remains the same today (1 Cor 14:6;